Anewer version of PUC (pollution under control) app introduced by the state transport department, three days ago for an authenticated performance, has stranded almost the entire automated emission test centres (AETC) across south Bengal districts.

This has caused extensive inconvenience to motorists while on the road they are fined indiscriminately by the police for no fault of theirs. In just three days, as many as 2,500 persons have been slapped fines in three districts, East and West Burdwan and Bankura as the validity of PUC certificates of their motorcycles or cars had expired but couldn’t be renewed just because the centres were unable to accommodate and run the new app as this newer ‘PUCC version 2.0’ App required mandatory GPS (global positioning system) incorporation while testing.

Also, the new app, according to the centre operators: “Couldn’t be downloaded despite repeated attempts since last three days.” The state government had introduction the newer version of its web-enabled centralized app to ensure that the vehicles are physically present at the AETCs while obtaining certificates. Several complaints received by the transport department hinted of corruption and malpractice as a large number of vehicle owners were obtaining PUCC without physical production of their vehicles.

The transport department, in a notification, exclaimed: “Such practices compromise the government’s efforts to control air pollution.” The upgraded new app has added some new features which include the AETCs to enter their longitude and latitude coordinates in government’s VAHAN Software, besides, uploading of 5 seconds live video while testing a vehicle

. “But the app failed to function and this caused inconvenience to both the AETC operators and the vehicle owners,” said Dipu Kazi and Anath Ghosh, presidents of the AETC operator’s associations in West and East Burdwan. “How could the department introduce such an app, which is not user-friendly?

Moreover, it is causing inconvenience to the vehicle owners,” they alleged. The regional transport officer, East Burdwan, Gobinda Nandi pleaded helplessness on the issue as he assumed charge only yesterday. Pulak Ranjan Munshi, RTO, Asansol, said, “I’ve received some grievances and forwarded those to the department. I’m hopeful that the matter will be resolved at the earliest.”

PUCC, according to the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is an extremely vital document that a vehicle driver ought to keep with whenever driving a vehicle. Failure to get a PUCC, under the Act, may result in fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 and the Driving License is likely to be confiscated for 3 months.

The police that’s imposing on the vehicle owners on the road meanwhile has also pleaded helpless on the issue. Tathagata Pandey, Assistant Commissioner of Police in Durgapur said: “We are supposed to find the faulty vehicles. Had there been any communication from the respective RTO, the matter could have been considered whole-heartedly.